New Delhi, (Samajweekly) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s letter to him “unfortunately justified the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament” and stressed that it would be distressing when history judges presiding officers harshly for Bills passed without debate and not seeking accountability from the government.
Kharge and Dhankhar have been involved in an exchange of letters with both raising questions on the impasse in Parliament that led to the suspension of 146 opposition MPs.
In a letter to Dhankhar, Kharge said: “I have carefully perused your letter dated December 23 and I would like to clarify on the points that you have raised and request that you examine my concerns objectively and with neutrality as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
“The letter unfortunately justifies the autocratic and arrogant attitude of the government towards Parliament. The letter most shockingly justifies the denigration of parliamentary practices and subversion of democracy.”
Noting that Dhankhar mentioned that he had repeatedly sought an interaction with him before taking the unpleasant step of suspending the Opposition MPs, Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the upper house, said: “You would be kind enough to recall that even before the government took the unprecedented step of suspending MPs on an almost daily basis, I had submitted a notice under Rule 267 on 14th Dec 2023 seeking that the Home Minister make a statement in the House on the shocking security breach in the Lok Sabha on December 13.”
He said that he recognises that it is well within powers of the Chairman to decide on these notices, but “it was regrettable that the Chair condoned the attitude of the Home Minister and the government who did not wish to make a statement on the floor of the House. It was even more regrettable that the Home Minister made his first public statement before a TV channel when the Parliament was in session and the Chair did not find that ‘sacrileging the temple of democracy'”.
On the Chairman’s claim that the disorder was “deliberate and strategised and predetermined”, he said: “I would like to submit that if anything, it is the mass suspension of the Opposition MPs from both Houses of Parliament that seems to be predetermined and premediated by the government and I am most sorry to say, executed without any application of mind, as can be seen by the suspension of an INDIA party MP who was not even present in the Parliament.”
He also said that since his staff monitors social media and media, “your good self would have been made aware of how a Union Minister allegedly informed an Opposition MP that most Opposition MPs will be suspended before the Home Minister is present in the Rajya Sabha”.
“We would have expected the Chairman to have inquired if such a threat was indeed issued. Such comments grossly undermines the Chair who we believe is the final authority on conducting the House including suspension of members. If indeed the suspension of members is happening on the direction of the government, this is ‘sacrileging the temple of democracy’.
“I am pained to point out that both the Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Home Minister gave interviews to media rather than make statements on the floor of the House while the Parliament was in session. The legislature and the executive are independent and the Chair did not seem fit to ensure that the government is held accountable to the Parliament rather than speaking to the media,” Kharge said.
He also said that the ruling party has indeed “weaponised” the “suspension of members” as a convenient tool to undermine democracy, sabotage Parliamentary practices, and throttle the Constitution.
“If anything privilege motions have also been weaponised to muzzle the voice of the Opposition. This is a deliberate design of the ruling dispensation to undermine Parliament itself.
“By suspending MPs, the government is effectively silencing the voice of the voters of 146 MPs altogether,” Kharge said.
He also pointed out that the Chairman is the custodian of the house and should be at the forefront to uphold the dignity of the House, defend Parliamentary privileges, and protect people’s right of holding its government accountable through the debates, discussion and reply in Parliament.
“The Chairman should also kindly note that the government has escaped accountability on all crucial issues like serious border incursions by China, or continued unrest in Manipur or the recent intrusion in the Lok Sabha by visitors who had been facilitated entry by a BJP MP.
“It would be distressing when history judges the presiding officers harshly for Bills passed without debate and not seeking accountability from the government. It is disappointing that the Hon’ble Chairman feels effecting suspensions facilitated legislative business by passing bills without discussion,” Kharge said.
The Congress chief said that he agrees with Dhankhar on the need to move ahead but “the answer lies in holding ourselves true to the Constitution, the Parliament, the Parliamentary practices and innate belief in democracy vis-a-vis an authoritarian government that is bent upon subverting the Parliament”.
“I would like to state with all humility that the answer may not lie in a discussion in your chambers if the government is not keen on running the house,” he added.
